“I don’t know,” Sophie said. “This is new for me too, you know. Brothers, fathers, being a mother. I think the best thing you and I can do is take one step at a time and see how we go.”
“I’m up for that,” Seth said as he opened the door and waved at Louis and the girls in the car. “I’m definitely up for that.”
Epilogue
I’ve seen worse, I suppose,” Cal said as Sophie stepped out from behind the screen in her wedding gown.
“What? Shut up,” Carmen cried, crossing the bridal suite to take Sophie’s hand in hers. “Oh, darling, you look beautiful. That dress is so perfect. You’d hardly know you were five months gone.”
“I don’t care if they do,” Sophie said, turning to look at herself in the mirror and smoothing the cream silk over her bump. “I want the whole world to know.”
“You look like a princess.” Izzy oohed as she ran into the room, followed closely by her sister, both of them wearing dresses made out of yards and yards of dusky rose net, each with a pair of specially made beaded wings attached to their backs.
“No, like a queen,” Bella said. “And we’re your princesses and we especially like the buttons.”
It had been Bella’s idea to sew some of the buttons from Mrs. Stiles’s box onto Sophie’s and her and Izzy’s dresses. She had come to Sophie about a week earlier and opened her cupped hands to reveal a treasure trove of mismatched cream, ivory, silver, pink, and pale blue buttons that together looked like a Cornish sky at sunset.
“I had a thought,” Bella had said carefully. “These buttons used to be Mummy’s and now they are ours, and I thought if we put them on your dress, then it would be like Mummy was there with us too, wouldn’t it? And it would be something borrowed—like you’re supposed to have at a wedding. And some of the buttons are old and some of them are new and there are two blue ones, so it would be awfully lucky as well as nice. I could stick them on with glue if you like.”
Sophie had been so touched that she had called the dress designer immediately and taken the girls down there that afternoon. Although she’d drawn the line at letting the girls loose with glue anywhere near her cream silk, they had worked with the designer to adorn their dresses with the buttons, and the effect was a beautiful, original, and unique design.
As Sophie ran her hands over them, she felt for a second as if her old friend was in the room with her, holding her hand.
“And how do I look?” Cal asked, gesturing to his suit, which had been dyed to exactly match the bridesmaids’ dresses.
“You look nice too,” Bella told him. “Even if I’m not sure about a boy as a bridesmaid.”
Christina handed Sophie a glass of water. “I’d like to offer you champagne, but, well, what with the bump, water will have to do.”
There was a knock at the door, which Carmen went to answer.
She picked up Sophie’s bouquet of pink winter roses and handed it to her.
“They are all ready for you out there. Are you ready, darling?” she asked. “Ready for a new year, a new life, a new baby, a new husband?”
“I am,” Sophie said, looking at the door. “I am so very ready.”
• • •
The candlelight was reflected in the chandeliers, making the room glitter and sparkle as Sophie slowly walked down the aisle on her mother’s arm. Izzy and Bella walked in front of her, supposedly to scatter rose petals but actually waving at people, and in Izzy’s case stopping for a chat when she saw Grace Tregowan and holding everything up for a few seconds.
Then finally Sophie found herself standing opposite Louis, Bella and Izzy on either side of her, and a rather nervous Seth at Louis’s shoulder, clutching the rings.
“I didn’t think you could look more beautiful,” Louis said. “I was wrong.”
“We’re here,” Sophie whispered as the celebrant prepared to start the ceremony. “We’re doing this at last. You and I are getting married!”
And it seemed like a dream to Sophie as she stood in the candlelight with all her family and friends around her, Izzy’s hand tucked into hers as Louis made his wedding vows, Bella standing by her side, her arm around Sophie’s waist. She saw Grace Tregowan and Mrs. Alexander sitting in the front, Grace resplendent in red and Mrs. Alexander plowing her way through a box of tissues. She saw her mother standing behind her, determined not to cry, and Trevor waiting for her a few rows back with what Sophie happened to know was an engagement ring in a box in his pocket, because earlier that morning he’d come and asked her if she would mind if he proposed to her mother while they were down in Cornwall.
Best of all she saw the man she loved; she saw Louis telling her and the whole world that he was going to be by her side forever. That he was her husband.
“And do you, Sophie Mills, take this man to be your husband?” the celebrant asked her. Sophie smiled at Louis and hugged his two daughters close.
“I do,” Sophie said. “Always, forever, whatever.”
Acknowledgments
Thank you to Maggie Crawford who is always such a pleasure to work with and who brings so many fresh ideas and creativity to my writing. And also to all of the team at Simon & Schuster/Pocket Books for their continued dedication and commitment to my work. I can’t believe how fortunate I am to have found such a fantastic publisher.
I would also like to thank my agents Lizzy Kremer in the United Kingdom and Jill Grinberg in the United States for all the work they do on my behalf.
It has been such a pleasure to be back with Sophie, Louis, Bella, and Izzy again that I have to thank my wonderful readers on both sides of the Atlantic who inspired me to write this new installment in Sophie Mills’s life. I hope they enjoy it as much as I have.
READERS CLUB GUIDE
Introduction
About a year ago, Sophie Mills’s life was turned upside down when her childhood best friend died and left Sophie in charge of her two young daughters. A true city girl, Sophie surprised everyone, including herself, when she moved to the country to be with the girls and their father, Louis—her best friend’s widower.
But adjusting to life as a semi-permanent mother in a small town isn’t as easy as Sophie imagined. She can’t quite make that final commitment to move in with Louis and the girls—she’s on her way to becoming the longest-paying guest of the local bed-and-breakfast.
Just as Sophie starts to feel secure, Louis’s first love resurfaces with some shocking news. Now Sophie can’t help but wonder: Can Louis take responsibility for his past as well as his present? And can she fulfill her solemn promise to be there for two frightened little girls “always, forever, whatever”?
Discussion Questions
1. The prologue to The Accidental Family takes place six hours after Sophie shows up at Louis’s door in Cornwall, and the first chapter begins six months later. What has changed over those six months? How has Sophie and Louis’s relationship evolved, and how has it remained the same?
2. The night that Louis proposes, why does Sophie insist that he is asking her permission to go on a surfing trip to Hawaii? What other miscommunications does this scene foreshadow?
3. Sophie complains to Cal, “Why do you have to sum up my entire life like it’s a tabloid headline” (page 210)? What are some of the more tabloid-worthy moments of The Accidental Family? Which plot twist shocked you the most?
4. What were your first impressions of Wendy Churchill, Louis’s first love? Did she meet your expectations in the end? Why or why not?
5. With four husbands in her past, eighty-nine-year-old Grace Tregowan has plenty of stories about love and loss. Which stories and pieces of advice seem to affect Sophie the most, and why?
6. Consider how Bella and Izzy handle the turmoil in their family. How does each girl cope with fear and uncertainty? How are their reactions similar, and how are they different?
7. Sophie feels she can relate to Seth’s sense of loss and confusion: “She knew what it was like to live without a father and she also knew how shockin
g it was to discover that your whole life, everything you’ve believed to be unalterable and true, could be turned on its head in a second” (page 156). Why doesn’t Seth seem to respond to Sophie’s sympathy? Could Sophie have done more to help Seth? If so, what?
8. Discuss the reappearance of Jake Flynn, Sophie’s former love interest. Does Jake seem happy with his fiancée? Is his kiss with Sophie purely for “scientific research,” as he says, or does he really want Sophie back? Explain your answer.
9. Iris shares the story of how she and Sophie’s father met and fell in love. Compare this story to Sophie and Louis’s. What do these romances have in common? How are they different?
10. Sophie has a broad support network, from sensible Iris to irreverent but loyal Cal to sexy, practical Carmen. Among Sophie’s friends and family, which character is your favorite, and why?
Enhance Your Book Club
1. Plan a dream vacation to Cornwall, England! Pretend you and your book club will be spending a long weekend in this coastal region. Where would you stay, and what would you want to see? You can research Cornwall tourism at www.visitcornwall.com.
2. Treat your book club to a proper English tea! If there is a tea shop in your town, hold your book club meeting there. Or if you’re hosting at home, you can find recipes for scones, cakes, and other Sophie-approved delights at www.joyofbaking.com/EnglishTeaParty.html.
3. Follow the example of Iris, Sophie’s mother, and volunteer at your local animal shelter. You can search for a shelter that needs help by entering your zip code on this website: www.pets911.com/organizations/volunteer.php.
4. Take a peek into Rowan Coleman’s world by reading her blog at www.rowancoleman.blogspot.com.
Questions for the Author
1. You open The Accidental Family with a bedtime story recounting the adventures of Princess Sophie, Prince Louis, Bella, and Izzy. Why did you choose this fairy-tale format to bring readers up to speed on the events of the previous novel, The Accidental Mother?
I wanted new readers to be able to pick up The Accidental Family and read it as a stand-alone book, but I was aware that at least some of Sophie and Louis’s life from The Accidental Mother was really pertinent to this book. At first I tried to weave the events of the past into the main text, but most of the time I found that it slowed the book down and got in the way of the narrative flow. I had the idea for the bedtime story one evening while telling my daughter a made-up bedtime story in which she was the heroine. I realized how much children love to hear about themselves and that this is exactly what Sophie would do, not only to help the children understand what had happened but to help her understand it too.
2. The promise “Always, forever, whatever” plays a central role in The Accidental Family. How did you come up with this key phrase?
I have known my best friend, Jenny, since we were children, and during the course of our friendship we made each other many promises of loyalty that we have kept. We have always been there for each other through all of life’s ups and downs. Although we never used the “Always, forever, whatever,” when I thought about how to sum up the kind of friendship we had, that was the phrase that kept coming to mind. Best of all, I get a lot of mail from readers who tell me they have adopted it as their very own friendship motto.
3. Wendy is a complicated character; Sophie sometimes struggles to hate “that Wendy woman” when she considers the hardships of a single mother. Was it hard to resist creating a truly evil rival for your heroine? Why did you make Wendy’s motivations so complex?
Life is complicated and I feel that the majority of people try their best to get it right, even if they don’t always achieve it. Wendy makes life very difficult for Sophie; she manipulates Louis and her son—but only because she is looking at Louis and Sophie and the life she might have had if she had made different choices. Jealousy and regret are powerful emotions, and all of us have been overpowered by irrational feelings at some point in our lives. Apart from anything else, I try to write characters that are identifiable and realistic, and things are rarely ever as simple as “good” and “evil.”
4. The cliffs and breezes of Cornwall really come alive in this novel. How does this part of the world inspire you?
I love Cornwall with a passion. I first visited as a child and have fond memories of roaming its sandy beaches, climbing over rocks, and fishing for crabs in rock pools. Over the years I have become more and more attached to it, particularly St. Ives when I discovered the artist colony that grew up there and I found out more about the artists’ lives and work. During the summer it’s so packed full of tourists that you can barely move, and in the winter it’s wild and empty and full of untold stories—but all year round it never loses its charm for me. If you can visit, do!
5. Sophie takes quite a few romantic risks in this novel, from accepting Louis’s proposal to kissing two other men. Do you think risk is necessary for romance—or at least for a good love story?
I think in Sophie’s case the risks she takes are due to her uncertainty about the way her life is heading. Everything has changed very quickly, as she hasn’t had a moment to catch her breath and think about it. Although she loves Louis and the children, she is still testing her own sense of commitment. From a wider point of view, when it comes to writing a romance or a love story, risk and complication are definitely necessities. I really hate putting my characters through some of the things I do. Part of me would like them to have a nice life, meet a nice partner, and settle down—but that doesn’t make for very compelling reading!
6. Sophie and Carmen experience the madness of a wedding fair, overwhelmed by the cake samples and dress exhibits. Have you experienced this kind of wedding fever firsthand? Do you think it takes an event planner and a pastry chef—like Sophie and Carmen—to navigate the chaos?
I have been a bride, so I understand the fever that takes hold of wives-to-be! It can become the sole focus of a woman’s attention in the months leading up to her wedding, and everything else fades in comparison. Unfortunately, I think the obsessive side of wedding planning can detract from the joy and pleasure of the actual day. Do you need a wedding planner? Probably not—but hiring one might help everyone stay sane.
7. Iris is able to guess almost instantly that her daughter Sophie is pregnant. Do you believe in a mother’s intuition? Do you think many women worry that they lack this instinct, like Sophie does?
As a mother, I have to say I do believe in mother’s intuition. Often it is a mother who knows first if her child is ill or unhappy— sometimes even before they do. And I don’t think that changes as the child grows into an adult. No one knows me better than my mum. She guessed I was pregnant before I knew about it. Before the birth of my first child I worried and worried that I wouldn’t be a natural mother, that I wouldn’t be able to get it right. I realized eventually that there is no such thing. All of us learn from page one starting on day one—there is no shortcut to learning how to bring up a child, and I don’t think you ever stop learning. I do think that you gradually develop the kind of knowledge of your child and the depth of love for your child that becomes intuition.
8. Sophie seems to be in limbo between high-heeled shoes and wellies—glamorous London life and muddy coastal life. Are you more likely to step out in heels or boots, yourself?
I love a pair of high heels, I love to be glamorous, period. Like Sophie, I am an occasion dresser. But I also have a dog and very beautiful woods near my house, so muddy wellies come out of the closet regularly too.
9. Which book did you find more challenging to write: The Accidental Mother or its sequel, The Accidental Family? Why?
It’s hard to say. Both books had their challenges. With The Accidental Mother I was starting from scratch with new characters and I had to work hard to give the story credibility and an edge of reality. But on balance I’d say that writing The Accidental Family was harder because I knew that so many readers really loved The Accidental Mother and had been waiting a long time to find out w
hat happened next, and I didn’t want to let them down.
10. The story of this “accidental family” seems far from over, as Seth joins the family and Sophie looks forward to her first baby. Can readers look forward to another book in this series? What does the future hold for Sophie and her family?
I honestly don’t know. I always like to finish a book without all the loose ends tied and an unknown future laid out for my characters to inhabit, but I don’t always feel the urge to write about it. The Accidental Family came about because so many readers asked me what happened next to Sophie and Louis and because once I started thinking about it I couldn’t stop! I might very well revisit them in the future, but for now I have new characters and new ideas that I am working on.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
A Bedtime Story
Prologue
One Six months later
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty-one
Twenty-two
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Introduction
The Accidental Family Page 35